// How Gry Holmskov Creates

Last post we looked to the past and celebrated Nanna Ditzel as a design dame and all round inspiration. But what about the here and now? Who are the designers of the moment and what is inspiring them to create? This lead us to want to take a closer look at the brains behind some new pieces in our showrooms...

It's no secret we have fallen in love with our new Angel Stools, they are simple elegant and playful.
Their organic lines recalling natural forms serve as a reminder to slow down and take a seat, to just breathe and observe. Come late afternoon the stools play with soft sunshine and the shadows they cast are divine to say the least. Here they are in our on their first day in the office at around home-o'clock:

This wondrous stool's designer is Gry Holmskov who like her idols Hans Wegner and Finn Juhl, is a trained architect and furniture designer. Not content with merely aesthetically pleasing objects she is inspired by the whole lifecycle of a product. She is constantly spurred on by nature and the small details in life.

After sending her a short email asking her about her creative process Gry quickly responded with a plethora of images. This is one seriously inspired young designer! We felt instantly transported into her creative and bubbling mind. Her designs make all the more sense while flicking through these; the images she has curated are genuine and appreciative of the natural world, of all the little things and show her hard work!

 Jump into Gry's creative utopia for the next few minutes, we hope it will inspire you as it has us.

I N S P I R A T I O N 

                       

S K E T C H  P R O C E S S

C R E A T I N G

 

 

 

 

A  F I N I S H E D  P R O D U C T
Available at Great Dane

G R Y ' S  S T U D I O  A N D  P O R T R A I T S

What a talent.

Thank you Gry.

WEBSITE - Gry Holmskov

ANGEL STOOLS, NEW @GREAT DANE 

// The Tale of Ditzel and Dane

Nanna Ditzel was a true trailblazer for Scandinavian

furniture makers. Born in Copenhagen in 1923 she first 

trained as a cabinetmaker before studying at The Royal 

Academy of Fine Arts and The School of Arts and 

Crafts in Copenhagen. Finally she graduated in the field 

of furniture design.

Ditzel’s career encompassed jewellery, interior, 

furniture and fabric design. Her organic and 

contemporary aesthetic is without an inch of a 

doubt still relevant today. Her prevailing style 

transcends all disciplines of design and she 

designed many classic jewellery pieces for George 

Jensen.

The collaboration between us and Nanna's designs began when Great Dane contacted Snedkergaarden

a boutique factory in Denmark in charge of manufacturing highest quality Ditzel designs – in 2011 to 

bring Ditzel’s designs to Australia, we had no idea the impact Nanna Ditzel’s designs would end up 

having on our very own shores.

After being approached to provide Nanna Ditzel pieces for none other than the Sydney Opera House’s

Western Foyer we were pretty sure we weren’t the only ones to share the affinity for these amazing 

pieces. Beautiful, simple, elegant and most importantly, very, very comfortable.

To us she is a true inspiration and naturally, we are in constant admiration of her designs. So enamored

we are that we could not stand to part with these customer orders in lush shades of green without 

conducting a spontaneous, abstract and may we say quite intimate photo shoot - obsessive as we are 

about great truly design. Behind the scenes Anton directing the shoot between sending emails:

As we reflect on how we create this month it’s the perfect moment to share a little bit of Ditzel with

you. This is Nanna Ditzel perhaps as you haven’t seen before. Enjoy!

// How Great Dane Creates - New Year Windows

The products you see in our showrooms are much more than just the result of quick selection and a refined eye. They are also a direct reflection of a well-nurtured relationship and many a conversation, over the phone or in person, with our trusty manufacturers in Scandinavia. Previous blog posts have talked about this connection, excitement and collaboration for example here.

This January our windows pay homage to creation and the fine skill levels our chosen craftsmen and designers past and present have achieved.

We take just as much pride in our window displays, we always have! It's a great way to communicate our fundamental ideas and interact with passers by and customers alike.

For the month of January our showroom windows are teeming with tools, elements and symbols of the creation process. If you aren't lucky enough to live a stroll away from the showrooms here is a little taste of what’s in the windows this January:

All taken in the sun drenched Prahran Showroom windows.

From the top- Front large window as seen from Commercial Rd; Traditional wood carving tools; Wood planes; Colonial Chair by Ole Wanscher; Small window display. 

Keep this blog bookmarked as this month we are excited to posting more stories relating to how Great Dane Creates.

We hope you are having a great start to 2013! 

Give Great Dane - Christmas 2012 - Part 4

Beci Orpin L O V E S Great Dane! 

1) String Shelving System 

2) Muuto Rest Sofa  

3) Muuto The Dots Coat Hooks

4) Lisa Larson Ceramic Lion  

5) Muuto Bulky Tea Set 

Her reasons are many, but of course for starters, The String System would solve all her studio storage dilemmas. Busy artists need comfy resting spots and The Rest Sofa is her ultimate, too lovely to cover up she says of the Muuto Dots, Beci counts ceramic artist Lisa Larson as a personal hero and the Bulky Tea Pot - well who doesn't love it?! 



Beci's new book Find and Keep by Beci Orpin published by Hardie Grant Books is a treasure for anyone who loves or is seeking some creative inspiration! 

Thanks Beci you are a gem. 

beciorpin.com

Give Great Dane - Christmas 2012 - Part 3

Thinking about getting something special for the wonderful ladies in your life? Prahran Showroom assistant, Bronwyn, lends a hand with her favourites: 

1)Hans Wegner 501a Easy Chair 
I'd love the 501a easy chair, as I can always make room for an arm chair!

2)Great Dane Cushions
Pastel hues and textured fabrics of the cushions add life, colour and interest to an empty sofa.

3)Muuto Closely Separated Vase
Even if your favourite flowers aren't available, this vase speaks for itself and has a sculptural feel to it when empty.

Give Great Dane- Christmas 2012 - Part 2

Here's some more Great Dane gift ideas, courtesy of our friend Mr.Jason Grant :

1)Milk LightSoft glow and fantastic form.

2)Favourite Things Pendant LightDisplay your treasures.

3)Corky Carafe and CupsWarm months ahead!

4)Bulky MugsMuuto yellow is the best yellow.

5)Vedel BirdsAn absolute classic.

6)Wood LampThe perfect desk lamp.

7)Alvar Aalto VaseAnother classic design I love from GDF.Jason Grant Exclusive 

8) The Dots Well these are my very own creation!

Give Great Dane - Christmas 2012 - Part 1

It's that time of year again, Christmas is only 18 days away. I know from first hand experience that sometimes it can be incredibly hard to shop for someone, and from the people I meet in the showrooms, I am more than happy to lend a helping hand in helping them choose the perfect gift.

This year, I asked my friends to share their top gift ideas for Christmas 2012. Today, Jen Bishop from Interiors Addict gives us her Favourite Great Dane Gift Ideas:

Jen Bishop on Her Favourite Great Dane Gift Ideas:

1)Kai Dining Chair 
I love the sharp lines and feel of the Kai dining chair in walnut, perfectly finished with leather upholstery. Gorgeous. I have my eye on it as a new office chair, but it would make a great gift for someone else's desk. 

2)Voyager Candles
I can't get enough of Voyager Candles. They look great whether they're lit or not. The double-walled glass vessel is unlike anything else out there at the moment and the fragrances are just divine and fill your whole home. My favourite at the moment is Imperial. Who wouldn't love this as a gift?

3)The Dots
Muuto's The Dots hangers would make a lovely gift for anyone with a sense of style and fun. I love the limited edition gelato colours by stylist Mr Jason Grant.  Looking for something a little more festive? Try the golden Botanical Dots.

4)Cognac Glasses
What man wouldn't be delighted to open this set of two Cognac glasses this festive season? I'm a big fan of quality glassware and the difference it can make to the whole drinking experience.

5)Snowflake Card
Make a statement by sending this super special snowflake card this Christmas!

Ever receive a fantastic Great Dane gift? Tell us your story at georgia@greatdanefurniture.com

// Ken and Serena are paper cord champions!

Ken and Serena, winners of our paper cord contest sent us photos of the teak natural #63 Moller Bench 

grand prize they took home. The simplicity and playfulness of their space is a perfect for the #63, we 

are very glad it has gone to such a good home. Congratulations on your winning design, the adorable 

paper cord octopus - looking quite at home too!

Coffee, Craft and Paper Cording.

This past Saturday June 16th, we hosted a successful event at our Great Dane Fitzroy Showroom. We brought together our favourite things in Fitzroy: coffee, crafts and paper cording which brought the entire community out to celebrate and get hands-on with some of art material we had on hand for this special day.

Our friends over at Espresso Syndicate gave our complimentary coffee, hot chocolate and San Pellegrino all day from Burundi:

While we had delicious snacks readily available for those hungry guests from Kouzina de Patisserie (our favourite was the pistachio nougat):

Many thanks goes out to Rob Pink & Suzie Stanford who helped and inspired our guests to create marvellous pieces with paper cord. We are incredibly impressed with the skill and handiwork that everyone brought to the table on Saturday, you inspired all of us to grab a glue gun and start working wonders with that paper cord!

Great Dane will be giving away a #63 Moller Bench to the grand prize winner of our contest and runners up will win a family of Vedel Birds. Head over to our Facebook page where our contest entrants have each piece posted in our album. "Like" our page and vote for your favourite. Winners will be announced by 5pm on June 22, 2012.

The Art of Paper Cording

                            

This Saturday Great Dane is hosting a free event celebrating the Danish craft of paper cording. They're giving away a Moller bench, the ultimate example of the technique.

This Saturday, Great Dane Furniture is celebrating the unique Danish art of paper cording with an in-store event, complete with complimentary coffee and sweet treats. Rob Pink, of Pink & Sons, will be demonstrating his art and helping visitors with their own paper cording creations. There's prizes up for grabs for the best cording - it's sure to be a day of crafty fun.

The Moller chair is a perfect example of not only mid-century Danish design, but also paper cording at it's best. The clean, almost radical simplicity of these chairs – designed and made in Denmark in the 1950s and 1960s – remains relevant even today.

The famous Moller chairs, designed by the Niels Moller himself, hark back to the substitute of cord for rubber in Denmark during World War II. Using this extremely durable material for the seat of his chairs, Moller incorporated this traditional, twisted paper cord into his design. The designs of the various Moller chairs vary in subtle ways, from the curved back of #71 and the traditional angles of #77 to our personal favourite, the timelessly simple #78.

What sets JL Moller apart is their commitment to doing things by hand and according to tradition. The cord seats of Moller chairs are made from one single piece of 425-foot-long cord, the company selects the raw timber itself and all the components are hand-polished. It’s Scandinavian furniture at its best.

Paper cording isn’t just a Scandinavian phenomenon, however. Right here in Melbourne, Rob Pink from Pink & Sons is practicing this traditional technique. From his workshop in Glen Iris, Pink restores and repairs paper corded furniture and will be in-store at Great Dane for an interactive workshop.

Great Dane owner Anton Assaad says it will be a hands-on experience for guests. "Paper cording doesn't always have to result in a Danish seat; anything from bracelets to bowls can be made with these materials." The sustainably minded Espresso Syndicate will also be on hand with complimentary coffee and organic cakes from farmers’ market favourites Kouzina of Patisserie.

There will be two sets of Vedel Bird Families (valued at $400) up for grabs for the best paper cording creations and a #63 Moller bench (valued at $1195) will be given away.

So dust off your craft skills and head down to Great Dane’s Fitzroy showroom this Saturday and show them your paper cording best.

Great Dane Paper Cording Event
Great Dane Fitzroy
175 Johnston Street, Fitzroy
Saturday 16 June, 10am-5pm